Cloud's heroes
by SummerFairy
Summary: Cloud was Denzel's hero, everyone noticed it. But when the boy asked about Cloud's hero, he thought he would heard about Zack's story, but the answer may be surprising...
1. Chapter 1

**Cloud's Heroes**

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 _Disclaimer : Final Fantasy VII and its characters belong to Square Enix._

 _Author note : because I do think there are not enough fic about Cloud and the kids :) So here is about Cloud and Denzel with a little CloTi at the end. Enjoy!_

 _This story was not beta-ed and english is not my native language. :(_

 _Please, read and review ;)_

 _Takes place after Advent Children Complete._

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After Cloud has returned to Seventh Heaven life was a little hectic, from buying a new cell phone, repairing a high damaged Fenrir, polishing a rusty sword whose place was decided to be in the church, to refilling the bar plus a lot of things to help Reeve to clean the mess left by Kadaj and his gang, he didn't really have time to relax with Tifa and the kids. It's only two months latter that life was beginning to settle at a normal pace. Fenrir was finally repaired, the Strife Delivery Services was operating again, slowly but surely and Tifa's bar was doing well. Last but not least, his relationship with Tifa was better and he was able to really communicate with her and to share his everyday life and everyday problems with her.

That means he was also able to spend more time with Denzel and Marlene. They were too happy to have him back and ask a lot to be with him. They were helping with route maps for the deliveries, they were washing Fenrir, asking to go with him to buy food and so on. He was surprised by their enthusiasm but he can't say he didn't like it, on the contrary he almost always says yes to their wishes.

He had promised a ride on Fenrir to Denzel (and he was absolutely sure that Marlene would ask the same as soon as she knew about it) and today seems a nice day to fulfill that promise.

So on the afternoon he and Denzel left the bar for a ride around Midgar and Edge. They finally found themselves on the promontory that arise in front of Midgar, exactly where a long time ago a first class soldier sacrificed his life for a young boy.

Denzel didn't know a lot of things about Cloud's past, about Tifa's past and their friends of Avalanche, he met them all at once during the attack of Behemoth on the memorial. He was impressed, they all seemed strong and reliable. It was obvious he was curious to know more about the past and the bonds between all those people.

Naturally Denzel asked Cloud the question he wanted to know the answer for quite some time now :

"Cloud, who is your hero?"

Cloud looked at the boy puzzled.

"My hero? What is a hero for you?"

"Well you know someone who fight the evil one and bring peace to the world"

Cloud frowned. "No one can do that." ok he was maybe a little pessimistic here but he discovered that the term hero was a stupid one : all people can do good, all people can do evil and in real life people do both, so almost no one can be labelled hero. How was he suppose to explain that to him?

"What? But you are a hero, you fought Sephiroth and Kadaj and you save me and Tifa from that monster!"

"Well...yes..." Cloud sighed "But I didn't bring peace to the world, I just saved the people who are important to me."

"But the geostigma, it's thanks to you!"

He laughed, everyone in the gang knew who was behind the miraculous water that cured the disease. But Denzel didn't know about her, so he can't understand.

"It's not me Denzel, it's Aerith..." not a long time ago just saying her name was painful for him, now it seems ok, he even wanted to speak about her so that people will never forget her and her help.

"Who is she?"

"A girl who lived in the slum in sector five, she was selling flowers. I first met her in that church. Her particularity was that she was the last of the Cetra, an ancient race of wise people. A legend was told that the Cetra had reached a place that was called "The promised land", people didn't know really what was exactly that promised land but Shinra thought it was a place with endless resource of mako energy so they were searching for this place." Cloud sighed.

"It was a mess, and everything have gone wrong, Aerith herself didn't know a thing about all that, she was abducted by Shinra because they wanted to study her. So we went to save her and along the way we saved Nanaki who was also a study subject in Shinra's laboratory". Cloud stopped himself, it brought back so much memories, in majority painful ones.

"And then, what happened? You saved her?"

"Yes, Barret, Tifa and me escaped from Shinra laboratories with Aerith and Nanaki and then we all went after Sephiroth, travelling around the world."

"And?"

"You really want the whole story, don't you?" Cloud half smiled at Denzel. He didn't know if he was able to continue with the story because the pain that was resurfacing was clenching at his heart. For someone who learn just recently to let go of the past, it wasn't really healthy to speak of the past again, and revived all the pain that came along with it. But Denzel needed to know, Cloud understood that perfectly.

"So?"

"So, it ended badly, she was killed by Sephiroth and I wasn't able to protect her." Cloud closed his eyes for a moment, even if she said she was happy just by the fact he came to save her and that it was all ok now, he still felt guilty, not as much as before but he was still not at ease with the feeling.

"Sorry if I don't give you much details but... it was an awful moment for everyone and the memories of it are still painful."

"I see, sorry for asking too much"

"Naah, it's ok Denzel, you have the right to know. Don't worry" He ruffled the boy's hair to cheer him a little.

"She had some great powers?"

"Not that much when she was alive, but now it seems that she is able to do miraculous things like curing geostigma and deathly wounds."

"So she helped a lot of people and you specifically."

"Yeah, she saved me, I should be dead if it wasn't for her... and Zack. They both sent me back to life saying it was too early for me."

"They are like some guardian angel, aren't they?"

Cloud chuckled "Yes we can say that. And I'm sure they are still watching over us."

"Eeh? like right now they can see us?"

"Dunno, maybe..."

"So Cloud you don't have a hero, but two guardian angel who saved your life, that's awesome!"

"Denzel do you see better now that a hero is not someone who is going to save the whole world? saving a life is a lot more realist and it requires a lot of courage and a lot of fighting... just for one life"

"I understand now, a hero is someone who saved your life once. Marlene told me that guy in red protected you when we were in the forgotten city. Did he save your life? is he a hero too?"

"Vincent? ah yes thinking of that, he did saved me from Kadaj and his brothers"

"hero or not?"

"Well he doesn't give a damn, and he didn't see himself as a hero. But we said "save a life" and he indeed save mine this time."

"And what about the rest of the gang? is there someone else in it who save your life?"

Cloud thought about it for several minutes.

"You know, when we went after Sephiroth, travelling the world, we were always saving one another, always protecting the back of one another. That means everyone in this gang can be count as hero."

"Mmh, I see. But is there one in particular that save you when you were in a very very bad situation?"

Denzel was definitely too curious, Cloud wasn't sure if he wanted to speak about the times when he was in _very very bad situation_ , like when he had his memories in shamble or when he was lost in the lifestream or when he was almost lifeless because of mako intoxication. It was funny to notice that in those worst of bad situation, there was indeed one person who was always there to patch him, catch him, retrieve him from the smog, and he knows how much that person was important to him, it was his light.

Cloud smile thinking of that particular person, it was that person who definitely can be labelled hero.

Denzel was watching him intently and asked : "Why do you smile like that"

"Because we forgot to speak about the person that is a hero,with all the noble words you can put on the definition of the term."

"Eeh? who?"

"You don't guess?"

"Mmmh, Zack!"

"Yes he can be labelled as a hero because he saved me from Shinra's mad scientists after the incident in Nibelheim. Just too bad he thought that being a hero required to sacrifice your own life for someone else." Cloud sighed, with the time he came to think that if Zack had been more careful and less zealous, maybe just maybe, they both would have survived and have been able to reach Midgar.

"But I wasn't thinking of Zack here. I was thinking of a person who is alive"

"Someone else? Is it someone of the gang?"

"Yes"

"It's not fair Cloud, I can't guess, I don't know them! I only saw them once and I don't even remember all the names."

"Let's try nonetheless" Cloud wanted to laugh, it was too easy to guess but poor Denzel didn't seem to understand.

"Mmh, ok so that person is... Marlene's dad? the one with a gun in his arm"

"Barret? no, not him"

"Mmh, the pilot of the airship? He seems to be an awesome mechanician!"

"Cid? no, he just like to drink alcohol"

Denzel was almost pouting at that point.

"Ok, so... the ninja girl! She seems fun!"

"Yuffie? ...no. She would gladly sell my life for a materia"

"Uuuhh?! no way!"

"Well, maybe or maybe not"

"Ah! what about the dog?"

"Nanaki? ah he is indeed reliable and wise, but it's not him"

"We already spoke about Vincent so there is no one left! I don't understand!" Denzel wined.

"You almost there Denzel, you forgot one person and it's this one... and you know her well"

He looked quizzically at Cloud, trying to find the solution of this enigma.

"Sorry, I don't know, please tell me Cloud"

"A girl, who was the last one to propel me towards the Behemoth..." well, technically the real last one was Aerith but no one saw her except himself, Cloud added in his mind.

"Eehh... the last one?" it finally dawned on Denzel and he exclaimed "TIFA!"

Cloud really laughed this time. "Took you long enough to figure it"

"She is the hero? really?"

"If it means saving my life, yes, three, four times... or maybe more, I lost count of it."

"Uuuhh?! that much? Is she that strong?"

"Yes she is..."

"So you have two guardian angel and a heroine?" Denzel ask incredulously.

"Plus a vampire. But yes... my greatest hero is a heroine... "

 _And a whole gang who will always back me up if the situation required it._ He added in his mind.

"I think you're really lucky then!"

"Eh? well, come to think of it, yes I am."

Cloud was looking towards Midgar and Edge thinking about what his heroine will make for dinner tonight.

He couldn't help but smile at the thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Omake : Tifa, the heroine

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Cloud and Denzel came back in Seventh Heaven at 6 pm. Tifa cheerfully welcomed them as always.

While the boys were out, she and Marlene made a chocolate cake and spent some girls-time together, Marlene wanted to try new hairstyle and Tifa enjoyed playing with the little girl's hair.

Denzel spent the whole dinner and the whole evening watching Tifa intently, Cloud's revelations about her had left him speechless and in owe in front of the barmaid.

Tifa noticed the all too quiet behaviour of Denzel and asked Cloud if he was ok.

Cloud laughed and kissed her on her cheek.

"He asked me who is my hero and the answer shocked him"

"Hee? what did you say?"

"Don't look at me like that! nothing bad!"

"Cloud, what did you say?"

"I said I had two guardian angel, a vampire and a heroine"

"Huu? what kind of answer is that?"

"Well, just the truth."

Tifa thought about it for a moment.

"The guardian angel Zack, the vampire Vincent and the heroine Aerith, isn't it?"

"No I said two guardian angel"

"Oh Aerith is also your guardian angel of course..." she was sad every time she was reminded what a huge place Aerith has in Cloud's heart.

"But not a heroine"

Tifa arched an eyebrow, then who was the heroine if not Aerith?

Cloud was smiling now seeing her confusion. He went to her, holding her in his arms to her surprise.

"So you really don't see who is the heroine?" he again kissed her cheek then her forehead.

Tifa was still not used to Cloud's display of affection because it was random and usually when she wasn't expected it.

"It's you, silly" he whispered in her ear, holding her to him more closely.

She inhaled sharply, not only because of what he just said but also because of the close proximity.

She looked at him but didn't know what to say, she was lost in his eyes, lost in his smile and just completely taken aback by his warm embrace.

He saw her stunned expression and placed more kisses on her face.

"Don't tell me you are shocked too?" he finally asked.

"Cloud, ... I ..." all words were lost in her mind.

He chuckled, hugging her some more. "You are my heroine, what would I have done without you?"

She was finally hugging him back, he felt a warm feeling draped around him.

"And you are my hero" she whispered back.

She took his cheek in her hand and placed the sweetest kiss on his lips.

He couldn't be more happy.


End file.
